Listening to My Whiskers Grow

No, I was not having some sort of 1980’s fashion flashback and channeling my inner Crockett & Tubbs. Colorblindness, like a thief in the night, did not steal my ability to dress myself in the morning*. Nor was I experimenting with clothing from my wife’s side of the closet.

*My wife would tell you that ability never existed.

October, as you might recall, was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and folks from all over did all sorts of things in order to raise awareness and raise funds to help fight this disease. Good stuff, right?

Well, as it happened, I have been taking karate for a little over a year now in an attempt to get back into shape, increase my flexibility and … y’know … hit things. So, at our dojo, in October, we all had the opportunity to, among other things, purchase pink belts and then, for the month of October, instead of wearing the belt of our respective ranks, we all wore pink belts. Our dojo raised over $1,000 which was then donated to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock about an hour south of here.

Was it a gigantic get-a-wing-named-after-you type of contribution? Of course not. But, it was something. And lots of other folks did all their little somethings and all those little somethings added up to millions and millions of dollars raised that were donated to a number of legitimate research organizations in your neck of the woods and mine.

This is an important point – there is a cumulative nature to all our individual efforts. And, in the midst of the so-called Great Recession the need for our cumulative efforts is great – and it is not just limited to cancer research. We are headed into the holiday season … and winter. There are folks out there who are in need. Serious not-enough-food-in-the-cupboard, not-enough-fuel-for heat need.

At this point you might be asking, “Tim, what’s your point? And, further, what does this have to do with you whiskers?”

As always, Gentle Reader, I am glad you asked!

I have two points:

The first is this: I know things are tough right now for a lot of businesses out there and things are tough for even the people who do have steady, gainful employment. But, remember, as tough as it might be for you there’s probably someone out there who would gladly trade places with your version of tough.

The second is this: Do something. Anything. Donate something to some worthy cause. Money? Sure, great – do that – all kinds of worthy organizations need financial support. Food? Yes! Call your local food bank. They need your help. Even if all you can donate is one jar of peanut butter, do it. Remember, it’s not just you donating something – it’s all of us donating something. Time? Oh, here’s the big one – time. We’re all short on time. It’s okay. Find an hour somewhere. Volunteer. You’re good people. The world needs good people.

I will probably have more to say on this in later posts. And, yes, you are correct, this post has almost nothing to do with direct marketing.

And, finally, my whiskers: If you poke around this site you’ll note that I am usually a whiskered guy. More-or-less have been since I was fifteen or so.

As you might have noticed up at the top of the page, I am currently (temporarily) not whiskered. That’s right – I shaved on November 2nd. So I could grow a new mustache.

Raising awareness for men’s health (and prostate cancer, specifically) has never been easier for you. This month turned into Movember:

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

See? Wasn’t that easy? Now you are even more aware. And, all you have to do is listen to my whiskers grow. Well, that, and, if you are so moved, make a donation at my Movember page. Go ahead! Click the link. Learn some more. Donate.

Remember, we are good people and we all work hard, but, we can always help somehow. Somewhere. Some way.

How do you give? Let us know below!

About Tim Burnell

Tim Burnell, principal owner of Complete Medical Lists, has been helping clients reach their targeted markets through direct channels for over 20 years. He believes offering high quality data and unsurpassed service are the keys to Complete Medical’s success. He also believes all his CDs should be alphabetized by artist and then sorted by release date. Except for the Beatle CDs. They get sorted before all others.